Despite yet another enthralling cameo from MS Dhoni – this time pushing CSK to a good total on a tacky surface – CSK finished second best in Lucknow. KL Rahul was largely responsible for that outcome as he smashed a fine 53-ball 82 in chase. Quinton de Kock got runs too as CSK struggled for wickets and eventually conceded the game in 19 overs. KL Rahul also fell before the close, to a stunning catch by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point, but that didn’t stop LSG from romping home with eight wickets in hand and an over to spare.
LSG’s chase was set up by a dominant century opening stand – the first for them this season – between KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, which didn’t allow any CSK bowler to settle in. They collected boundaries regularly to score 54 in the powerplay, they didn’t let CSK fight back in the middle overs (which they have done often this IPL), they didn’t let the asking rate touch ten, and by the time de Kock fell for 54 in the 15th over, they needed a comfortable 43 from 30 balls.
Pitch and Toss
“Dimensions – 61m and 68m square, 76m straight down the ground. Red soil (pitch). Looks a little bit drier than what we have seen here in the past. There are a couple of bare spots, but I don’t think that will play too much of an issue. I expect it to hold a little bit more than anything else. It looks very Wankhede-like looking at that surface. Just being inland, there won’t be as much spin. The soil doesn’t compact together quite as tight, being quite central in the country.
I expect it to play really well. The new ball, like always, will be absolutely crucial. The ability to find wickets in the powerplay will be of paramount importance on this surface. I think it’ll be a really good wicket for cricket. Expect the bowlers to pitch it up a little bit more, see if they can get any movement off this fine green grass early on. Win the toss and bowl first.” reckons Kevin Pietersen and Aaron Finch
Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul won the toss and chose to bowl and made one change in the squad with Matt Henry coming in for Shamar Joseph.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad batting first made two changes to the squad bringing in Deepak Chahar for Shardul Thakur and Moeen Ali for Daryl Mitchell.
Shaky start, slow progress for CSK in the powerplay.
Ajinkya Rahane, sent to open the innings once again, started off with a classical backfoot punch through point on the second ball, but this was a PowerPlay where run-making wasn’t straightforward for the holders. Rachin Ravindra’s lean run extended to five games as he was cleaned up on the first ball of the second over by Mohsin Khan while trying to take a wild swipe at it.
Though LSG used pace all through the PowerPlay, the ball didn’t quite come on to the bat for the batters to easily hit through the line. Yash Thakur arrived in the fifth over to nick off Ruturaj Gaikwad for 17 off 13.
Ravindra Jadeja walks out at No. 4 to steer the ship for CSK.
CSK are known to pull rabbits out of the hat from time to time, and the latest was to send out Jadeja at No. 4. Soon after they were put in, they had lost Rachin Ravindra for a golden duck and, three overs later, Ruturaj Gaikwad edged a Yash Thakur outswinger behind.
Losing two wickets in the powerplay, perhaps, made CSK save Shivam Dube for later and send out Jadeja, and he played a key hand in CSK getting to a competitive score. Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, made CSK tick along nicely with a regular flow of boundaries, his crisp timing in full display. The pick of those was a six over midwicket off Matt Henry and an exquisite drive off Thakur for four.
CSK promoted Ravindra Jadeja, perhaps to deal with pace in the PowerPlay before they could unleash Shivam Dube on the spinners in the middle. Rahane got a couple of boundaries off Ravi Bishnoi but was cleaned up by Krunal Pandya in the ninth over, falling for a 24-ball 36. This was the fourth time in 52 balls that Rahane fell to the left-arm spinner in the IPL.
Shivam Dube’s arrival came with the anticipation of quick runs against the spinners but they tied him down by firing balls at close to 100kmph. He couldn’t tee off straight away like he’s done before this season, and managed just three runs off his first seven balls – all from spinners.
KL Rahul went back to pace and even used Marcus Stoinis on the tacky surface with immediate dividends. The Australian, who has barely bowled this season, struck first ball with a short ball to Dube. The CSK batter pulled clumsily and was caught by Rahul. CSK went to Sameer Rizvi as their impact substitute, but he lasted all of five balls for one run – getting stumped off Krunal.
KL Rahul managed his bowlers perfectly well in the middle-overs, a phase where CSK scored at a lowly rate of 6.2 an over. KL Rahul brought on spin from both ends as soon as the field spread out and it worked when Krunal Pandya hit Rahane’s leg stump to send him back for 36 off 24. Dube walked out at No. 5, but it was Jadeja who collected boundaries in consecutive overs by hitting with the spin of Krunal and Ravi Bishnoi.
Jadeja, however, did not get the company of CSK’s big hitters for long. Dube first miscued a Marcus Stoinis short ball, bowled at 125.4kph, to be taken by KL Rahul, and Sameer Rizvi, soon after, danced down the pitch to Krunal but couldn’t get close to the ball and was stumped. CSK were suddenly 93 for 5 after 13 overs.
The LSG bowlers stifled Moeen Ali and Jadeja – they went 34 balls without a boundary. Jadeja broke the drought in the 16th over, and reached his fifty in the 17th with a six off Mohsin Khan that Deepak Hooda should have taken but only managed to tip over.
Dhoni and the death-overs turn around as CSK propels to 176 for 6 after 20 overs.
The 42-year-old kept up his habit of walking out and enthralling an already smitten crowd with his six-hitting. But even before he stepped out to deafening noise, Jadeja and Moeen Ali set the stage for the flourish. In the 17th over, Jadeja hit Mohsin for a six to bring up his fifty before Moeen hit a hattrick of sixes off Bishnoi in the 17th to push CSK closer to 150.
Moeen exited with a 20-ball cameo worth 30 runs to his name, and Dhoni went the other way to put on an even better show. His 9-ball 28 had trademark shots well over midwicket – one six even going 101m long. Dhoni even improvised with a shuffle-across and scoop shot over the keeper’s head. His efforts pushed CSK to 176/6, but that proved to be rather insufficient in the end.
Moeen set things up for Dhoni with three sixes in a row off Bishnoi in the 18th over, and Dhoni came out to a rapturous reception when Moeen holed out attempting a fourth six off the same bowler.
After a single off his first ball, Dhoni was facing two inexperienced bowlers in Mohsin and Thakur. He first bashed Mohsin to the extra-cover boundary for a one-bounce four, and followed it with the most un-Dhoni esque six you’ll see: walking across because Mohsin had been bowling them wide outside off and lapping him over the keeper’s head. It was a 14-run over that included three wides.
The fans – almost entirely yellow – were having the time of their lives. And when Dhoni got the strike in the last over, he clobbered a six over cow corner. Thakur attempted wide yorkers that resulted in two more fours off the last three balls and Dhoni finished on 28 off just nine balls that helped CSK smash 63 in last four overs. It was fun but not nearly enough.
KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock compound CSK’s PowerPlay woes
With the white-ball not swinging enough in all venues, Deepak Chahar has been rendered largely ineffective this season. Though he came back for Shardul Thakur for this game, he couldn’t make the required inroads early on to put the home side under pressure in chase. Instead, KL Rahul and de Kock scored freely to dwarf the asking rate by the end of the six overs, in which they got 54 runs.
CSK’s ordinary returns with the ball in the PowerPlay (7 wickets at an economy rate of 9.47) continued. Even Tushar Deshpande who has been frugal this season, couldn’t eke out a dismissal. The LSG batters have copped criticism this season for either not scoring quickly at the start, or for throwing their wickets away, or for leaving too much to do for Nicholas Pooran. On Friday, KL Rahul and de Kock didn’t do any of those things, putting up a century stand in just 10.5 overs to set up the chase.
Middle-overs comfort for LSG as KL Rahul and Decock continues their charge on CSK.
Nothing changed, besides the field, from the seventh over on. Even CSK’s golden goose – Matheesha Pathirana – didn’t bring his wicket-taking knack to the middle overs as the LSG openers welcomed him with a 12-run over. The pair comfortably took LSG to 89/0 at the halfway stage, and then went after Jadeja to speed up the proceedings.
KL Rahul cut one off Jadeja past point to go past 50, while de Kock upped his scoring rate too. Mustafizur Rahman attempted to break through with his wily change of pace, but he too hit a wall. KL Rahul and de Kock took the opening stand past 100 – the highest for any wicket at the venue. De Kock too got a fifty before feathering an attempted pull off Mustafizur to Dhoni behind the stumps.
KL Rahul led the partnership with strokes dripping with class. He middled his pulls against the short balls, drove confidently down the ground, played the pick-up shots like he usually does, and even used the pace of Matheesha Pathirana to upper cut him for six.
KL Rahul often plays such strokes in T20s but it was the frequency with which he was hitting them on the night that was different. After collecting 12 off Deepak Chahar’s second over – the third of the innings – that included a six over midwicket, he drilled Mustafizur Rahman back in the next over. And when de Kock and KL Rahul combined for 6, 4 and 6 across the fifth and sixth overs to take them to 54 in the powerplay, it was fairly evident that LSG were in pole position to get home comfortably.
LSG were helped further when de Kock miscued Jadeja in the ninth over but Pathirana shelled the chance at short third. De Kock made CSK pay in Jadeja’s next over with a boundary on the leg side before KL Rahul inflicted more pain with back-to-back fours, which took him past fifty.
With 74 to get from 54, the two slowed down briefly before de Kock also got to his fifty. He fell for 54, caught by Dhoni trying to ramp a Mustafizur Rahman slower ball.
More of the same at the death as Nicholas Pooran romps LSG to victory by 8 wickets.
That wicket, and of Rahul to follow, were mere consolations as LSG wrapped up the chase with an over to spare. KL Rahul looked set to mark the victory with a century to his name, only for Ravindra Jadeja to take a one-handed blinder at backward point to catch the LSG captain 18 short. But before this could happen, Nicholas Pooran had walked out swinging for the fences and put LSG well on course to pocketing the two points.
On the last ball of the penultimate over, from Deshpande, the West Indian backed away and hit one over point to put the finishing touch to a thoroughly competitive victory. Pooran came out with the aim of hitting boundaries and finished the game off with his third four that sealed the chase with six balls to spare.
Presentations and Road Ahead.
Ruturaj Gaikwad the loosing skipper said : We finished well with the bat, couldn’t have asked more with the situation we were in. After powerplay we couldn’t capitalize on the start we got and we kept losing wickets at regular intervals. I would say we were 10-15 runs short. Slightly difficult with such a total, with the impact sub rule you need 10-15 or even 20 runs extra.
Pitches like these seem sluggish to start off with but with dew coming on it gets better, 190 would have been a good score. One area we would like to improve in taking wickets in the powerplay. That will put pressure on the opposition. We need to work on it. Good to play them again (next game at Chepauk). We will come up with good homework done now that we have three home games.
KL Rahul the winning skipper and Player of the Match said : Feels good at the end of the day. When you win, most decisions feel right. We were committed to our plans. Really happy with that. Depends on the wicket, I deploy my bowlers. We tried to mix it around. The bowlers executed really well. The team is sticking to the plans. Halfway stage, I would have been happy with 160. The wicket was slow and a bit of grip. MSD walked in and the pressure got to the bowlers.
He has had the intimidation on opposition bowlers. Our young bowlers were put under pressure with the crowd going berserk as well. 15-20 runs extra they got. I have been trying to assess the situation. It came off today. I knew the CSK spinners will put the pressure on. I picked my bowlers and it came off.
Quinton batted well as well. Made life easy for both. Different ball game playing in Chennai. Was playing in front of mini Chennai crowd. We are a young team and happy to play in front of such a crowd.
LSG haven’t lost much sweat in chasing this down. Did it get easier to bat second? It did. But CSK bowling and fielding was a lot to be desired. They sprayed it to all parts of the deck. Didn’t use Ali enough and Jadeja the bowler was put under pressure. Mustafizur struggled for control and so did Pathirana. But all of this because KL Rahul batted like a dream. The wicket was a little two-paced. QDK found it a little tough and got a chance as well.
But he hung in there and together with Rahul added 134 for the first wicket. That killed off the chase. Earlier, LSG controlled the CSK batting as well to restrict them to 176. LSG picked up wickets with the new ball and in the middle overs and it was MSD who scored a brisk cameo to take them close to 180. In hindsight, CSK would feel that they were at least 20 short as LSG barely tried too hard to chase this down.
LSG needed a win and they have got one. Big one actually. They had lost two on the bounce. Their next assignment after this was at Chepauk. They needed a win at any cost and they have pocketed it easily. They were geared up for a big tussle but CSK batters just couldn’t arrive today. Jadeja and MSD towards the end ensured it was close to 180.
Else for a major part of the first innings, CSK were behind the 8-ball. Then QDK and Rahul just came up with a clinical response. Two points have allowed LSG to occupy the fifth position on the table. Their NRR is in positive as well. A herd of four teams were looking to breakaway but LSG wants to be part of the traffic. CSK would feel a little disappointed as they came into this game having defended a score at Wankhede. But three home games from now is just the tonic that the team in yellow won’t complain of.
They run into each other again, this time in Chennai, on Tuesday (April 23).